


One Last Deal

by thesecondComingofGod



Category: Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys & Sophism (Webcomic)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Artist Kieran White, Confessions, Deal with a Devil, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Kieran hates it here, Moral Ambiguity, Simp Lauren agenda!, Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:28:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26546779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesecondComingofGod/pseuds/thesecondComingofGod
Summary: It is a few days after the fallout of February 14th, and Lauren talks to Kieran on the bridge where they first met.
Relationships: Kym Ladell & Lauren Sinclair, Lauren Sinclair/Kieran White, William Hawkes & Lauren Sinclair, William Hawkes/Kym Ladell
Comments: 15
Kudos: 65





	One Last Deal

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-shot of my ideal ending to PH. All rights of this work go to Sophism and Ephemerys.

It ended as it started, on the bridge overlooking the Ardhalis sea.

Lauren hesitated before stepping on it, taking in Kieran as he stood. He was already there, hands clasped behind his back, staring off into the night. He registered her presence though, because she saw his fingers tighten, his jaw clench.

She thought of something witty to say, something quippy, but all that managed to come out of Lauren’s mouth was his name. “Kieran.”

He turned to face her. “So we meet again. Except this time, you’re a detective.”

He was taunting her, she knew, but she couldn’t even describe how she felt about it. After successfully preventing the February 14th terrorist bombings, Lauren had come out a hero, restored to all her former glory. Since no one in the public knew about Kieran being the Purple Hyacinth, she had managed to negotiate his freedom with her superiors, making the compelling argument that public knowledge of a police archivist being the city’s deadliest murderer would not bode well. She told them that Kieran would spill the beans if they gave him jail time, despite the fact that in all truth, he might not have.

“It seems to have worked out in the end.” Lauren took a step forward, slowly. One after another, until she was just a few feet apart from Kieran. It must’ve looked awkward from the outside, the distance between them. 

“Did it?”

A challenge. She understood the guilt that raked both of them, the secrets and the lies. The version of events that Lauren’s higher-ups knew were in line with what they suspected in the beginning; that both members of Lune were men from one of their precincts. Many police officers around the city had quit their ranks as violence overtook the city, so Lauren simply said that Lune had died in the explosion. The one she’d caused, when she transported the bombs that the Phantom Scythe were planning to use and blew them up in an empty port. It wasn’t a carefully thought-out lie, but everyone accepted it - whether it was because they believed her or because they were grateful to not have to think of it, she didn’t know. 

Only Kym and Will uncovered that she was part of Lune, but they didn’t know about Kieran, or his role as the Purple Hyacinth. Despite it all having ended better than she could’ve ever imagined, Lauren still felt like her relationship with both of her friends was on eggshells. They thought she did it in pursuit of justice, and she felt sick whenever Kym made a joke about her heroism.

“I am not letting you get off this easily.” She tilted her head towards the sky and exhaled, tendrils of fog glistening against the black night. “The city is still in shambles. You’re not an archivist any longer, but there is still work to be done. There will always be work for us to do.”

_“Us?_ You think we could stand being in a room with each other?” Kieran flashed her a crooked smile, but Lauren could hear the scorn in his voice. There was the unspoken in his words to reckon with as well. _After what we’ve done?_

“I think I am the only person you could stand to be in a room with.” It came off harsh, words rushed out. “Perhaps I’d say the same for myself in regards to you.”

“What would we do? Go on buddy-buddy police hunts? Sit in a room and share stories about the people I’ve slaughtered, or the ones you betrayed? No. Don’t be ridiculous.”

Lauren gritted her teeth. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be.” She supposed she was naive, for thinking she could just waltz on that bridge and magically convince Kieran not to leave.

“Honestly, I’m not happy about denying you, Lauren. I know what you’re referring to. And maybe we could’ve been something, in another lifetime. But there’s no way you’ll be able to explain to your bosses why you’re with me, and we’ll grow to hate…”

Kieran rattled off some more arguments; it was all just white noise to Lauren.  _ Maybe we could’ve been something.  _ So apparently she hadn’t imagined it, those moments at the end, when he was shouting, pleading for her to not get herself killed. Or that buzz in the air when she’d asked him what they were going to do when this was all over.

She felt like she was going to scream, or punch Kieran, or worse, but Lauren was surprised to find herself laughing instead. First it was a tiny spurt, from the back of her throat, then it grew into a bubbly, head-thrown-back laugh.

He stopped, gaping at her. “If you’ve decided to go mad-”

“Who cares?” She waved her hand out towards the sea. “This place has already gone to shit. Ardhalis is changed, permanently. You may be a terrible person, but if I’m saying I can put up with it, why should you punish yourself any longer?”

For a second, Lauren thought she’d ruined any chance of Kieran listening to her. It wasn’t so. His face contorted, from one of frustration to mild curiosity. “What are you trying to say?” Something in her argument must’ve grabbed his attention, for his eyes were fixed on hers.

Remembering how he’d acted on the day they made their deal, Lauren averted his gaze and sauntered to the edge of the bridge, where a thick square rail guarded people from falling into the water. She hopped atop it, balancing on her toes and pouring all her concentration into movement as she spoke.

“We could do this. You could give me the keys to your apartment and the cave. I’d give you a key for the flat I’m moving into in the city. You can be the art instructor you always wanted to be, seeing it's virtually impossible for you to get blacklisted.”

“Are you suggesting we become a  _ couple,  _ Offi- Detective?” Kieran looked visibly repulsed at the thought.

“Why not? A part of me always wanted you.”

“I don’t even want to begin to know the implications of that.”

“Please. It’s not like you’ve never loved anyone.” Lauren had asked him about his ex-partners a long time ago, when she was making sure the both of them had no personal stakes in their escapades.  _ “I only ever seriously dated one person. He’s not an issue.” _

“Point being,” she continued, “we’ll easily fade into obscurity. It’s all I need by now.”

There was silence between the duo as Kieran digested this information, stoically. “I’m not sure I’m the right type of person for this. What I said still stands. What if we ended up resenting each other?”

“If we don’t resent each other by now, how is it going to come later? The way I see it, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.” Lauren jumped from the rail and made her way back to Kieran, whose arms were crossed. “I don’t need to convince you of this. The offer’s right here on the table, and it’s do or die. One last partnership.”

The corner of Kieran’s mouth lifted up ever so slightly. “If I recall, I gave you more time to mull our first deal over.”

Lauren shrugged. “Too bad.” She unearthed a knife from the interior pocket of her coat, bringing it against her hand quickly, without thinking. This time around, the sting wasn’t nearly as palpable. She extended a quivering palm to Kieran, dripping with blood. Like the first time they met here, except the roles were reversed. She was the one anxiously waiting for his call.

He took a step back, and she realized it was over. She had not convinced him. Kieran’s time in her life had ended, and she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the sound of his footsteps retreating into the night.

Instead, she heard the scrape of metal, followed by the burn of his bloody hand shaking hers.

**Author's Note:**

> If you came here from my unfinished Gilmore Girls fic...no you didn't🙈
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this! I don't think PH will actually end like this, and I'm honestly not sure if I want it to. This just exists to satisfy my needs. Go give the original webtoon a read!
> 
> (Yes the pronoun I used for Kieran's ex was intentional, it's called the bisexual agenda)


End file.
